Legion

People can say what they want but this movie is not terrible. And that’s why I lost the bet. The bet: If I like Legion even a little bit and it’s better than the movie Mutant Chronicles then Zack wins a Blu-ray of his choice (please not Crank 2). Don’t get me wrong here, when I saw the trailer for Legion I definitely cringed along with the rest of the world when the old lady starts crawling up the wall. But director Scott Stewart realizes Legion’s place among movie history. It lies somewhere between B Horror movie (with gags reminiscent of Evil Dead 2) and Drama with great characterization. Based on the trailer and tag line we’re all familiar with the plot: God is mad at the human race and sends his angels to kill them all. But the angel Michael thinks God is wrong. So, he decides to protect one woman who is pregnant with the savior of mankind.

Paul Bettany (Michael) commands the viewers’ attention the moment he hits the ground. The movie opens with an intense scene as Michael prepares to go to the girl he needs to save. There’s blood and explosions right from the start. It really works to pull viewers in. Cut to Paradise Falls Diner in nowhere land and meet the very pregnant mother of the savior, Charlie (Adrianne Palicki) and her friend Jeep (Lucas Black), who secretly loves her. Jeep is the shy but cute southern good ole boy whose only care in the world is to take care of Charlie and her baby. His dad, Bob (Dennis Quaid), made the mistake of building a Diner in the middle of a desert thinking mini malls would soon follow but alas, they did not. So, now Jeep takes care of his dad and tries to fix cars in their barely equipped garage. It’s not until all of the characters are introduced that “grandma” enters the diner to provide the first scare. A frying pan can’t even break ole granny.

This movie is a mix of gross out horror, shoot out scenes, and deep conversations that go beyond the normal teenage silly horror flick. It is in these conversations that the movie really excels. There’s a great scene between Percy (Charles S. Dutton) and Kyle (Tyrese Gibson) on the rooftop of the Diner. I don’t want to give anything away but it’s moments like this where we remember why we like Charles S. Dutton (Mimic and Alien 3) as an actor. He’s heartfelt, man! The scenes between the 2 angels Michael and Gabriel (Kevin Durand) are really good as well.  Now listen, if you don’t take the movie seriously then you’re not going to get what I’m saying here but some 0f their scenes, like the one when they are arguing about why God is wrong about mankind or another when Michael pleads with Gabriel to understand his position, you just really feel it. Who knew Kevin Durand (Smokin’ Aces) was a good actor? There is real depth to his character and subtext. You get the sense that they really love each other. On a silly note -  it got to the point where the gay innuendo throughout the film really peaked- Michael and Gabriel have a showdown in the Diner. I just kept thinking to myself that the Wayans Brothers will definitely use this in their next god-awful parody movie. I couldn’t help myself.

Legion is not the next great anything really but it was good and I recommend it if you like B movies of any kind. Zack and I have a pretty good mix of this kind of movie and Legion could easily be put in the top 10. (Bubba Ho-tep, Demon Knight, Big Trouble in Little China, Tales from the Dark Side, Pulse, Running Scared, Undead, Feast) All of the performances are worthy or better with the exception of the young slutty character. A spoon would have been a better casting choice. There’s spiritual symbolism throughout with Michael falling to earth in Los Angeles, the bulk of the movie takes place at Paradise Falls diner, and Jeep and Charlie have the initials J and C… Really the list goes on and on. Legion even has the token creepy child character who speaks in an evil voice. If you watch closely there’s a pretty funny shot of the child actor’s stunt double. Oh my god, it’s like they did that on purpose! (wink, wink) In the end this movie doesn’t have any right to be as good as it is. The first time director got very lucky with his cast and together they deliver a top notch flick.

Recent posts by Desiree

• The Joneses - April 26th, 2010
• Death at a Funeral (2010) - April 19th, 2010
• Date Night - April 12th, 2010
• How to Train Your Dragon - March 29th, 2010
• Newsworthy: "Wizard of Oz" on the Silver Screen - March 16th, 2010

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